First Aid Bites & Stings How to Treat Cat Bites and Scratches By Rod Brouhard, EMT-P facebook twitter linkedin Rod Brouhard is an emergency medical technician paramedic (EMT-P), journalist, educator, and advocate for emergency medical service providers and patients. Learn about our editorial process Rod Brouhard, EMT-P Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Michael Menna, DO on November 14, 2019 Michael Menna, DO, is a board-certified, active attending emergency medicine physician at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York. Learn about our Medical Review Board Michael Menna, DO Updated on January 27, 2020 Print As much as humans interact with felines (cats), it's no wonder that cat bites are common injuries, especially in children. Treating a cat bite should always start with the safety of all involved, including the patient, the rescuer, and if possible, the cat. Mostly, the cat. At least, that's what the cat would say. The following steps can be done at home, or wherever the bite occurred. Rengim Mutevellioglu / Getty Images Steps to Treat a Cat Bite Stay Safe. Secure the cat or the patient, or both. Move one away from the other. If the cat's owner is around, instruct him or her to secure the cat. If not, move the patient to a safe location. Cats may bite or scratch if frightened or their kittens are threatened, so leave them alone. Don't start any treatment until there is a reasonable expectation that the cat won't attack again.If you are not the patient, practice universal precautions and wear personal protective equipment if available.Control any bleeding by using direct pressure and elevation. Avoid using a tourniquet unless there is severe bleeding that cannot be controlled any other way. That's unlikely with a cat (unless the cat is a mountain lion). If direct pressure cannot be maintained for an extended amount of time, direct pressure can be achieved using a pressure dressing.Once the bleeding is controlled, clean the wound with soap and warm water. Clean inside the wound being sure to rinse away all the soap, or it will cause irritation later. Any regular soap will do. There's no reason to use any antibacterial or antiseptic soap.Cover the wound with a clean, dry dressing. You can put antibiotic ointment on the bite before covering, but that is not necessary. Learn How to Care For Your Incision After Surgery When to See the Doctor Regardless of how severe you think the bite is, always consult a physician right away. The wound may need stitches. A doctor should always evaluate injuries on the face or hands because of the likelihood of scarring and potential loss of function. Since they are often deep, cat bites and scratches are of particular concern for infection. Watch for these signs of infection:RednessSwellingHeatOozing pus Risk of Rabies Any unidentified cat runs the risk of carrying rabies. If the cat cannot be identified or the owner cannot show proof of rabies vaccination, the patient must seek medical attention. Rabies is always fatal to humans if not treated. An Overview of Rabies Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Cat and Dog Bites. American Academy of Family Physicians. April 2017. What You Should Do for a Cat Bite or Scratch. Cleveland Clinic. October 2016. Guadarrama-conzuelo F, Gutierrez-castillo A. Cathrombosis: Deep Vein Thrombosis After a Cat Bite - A Case Report. Cureus. 2019;11(6):e4924. doi:10.7759/cureus.4924 Roebling AD, Johnson D, Blanton JD, et al. Rabies prevention and management of cats in the context of trap-neuter-vaccinate-release programmes. Zoonoses Public Health. 2014;61(4):290-6. doi:10.1111/zph.12070 Additional Reading Caicedo, Y., Paez, A., Kuzmin, I., Niezgoda, M., Orciari, L., & Yager, P. et al. (2015). Virology, Immunology, and Pathology of Human Rabies During Treatment.The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 34(5), 520-528. Chen, Y., Gao, Y., Zhou, L., Tan, Y., & Li, L. (2016). A Comparative Study of Dog- and Cat-Induced Injury on Incidence and Risk Factors among Children.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13(11), 1079.